Luis Diaz calls Liverpool exit ‘good decision’ – now he’s the world’s best player

Robin Bairner

18 Feb 2026 10:01 GMT
4 min read

Luis Diaz has told Liverpool that leaving Anfield for Bayern Munich in the summer was a “good decision”.

Article continues under the video

The Colombia international was the subject of a €70 million sale by the Reds last term as he proved collateral damage for a record-breaking summer transfer campaign that saw Arne Slot’s side make blockbuster deals for Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz among others.

While Slot may regret the decision to offload the 29-year-old, who has since become the world’s best player, for Diaz, the opportunity to move to the Bundesliga has unlocked his best level.

Current ETV

Luis Díaz

F, M (L)

Bayern

Luis Díaz

F, M (L)

Bayern

ETV Range

€74.4M - €90.9M

Bayern move ‘exactly right’

Diaz told Sky Sport Deutschland: “It was a good decision – a decision for an incredible and outstanding team. And when you arrive somewhere new, you naturally want to give your very best, to give 100 per cent and to feel comfortable where you are. Being happy is the most important thing for a player and for his family as well. It was exactly the right move to come here.

“I knew I would be joining an incredibly strong group of footballers and a club with excellent infrastructure and top-class training facilities. I had no doubts about that. The most difficult part for me and my family certainly was and still is the language… but I knew I would fit in very well here and that I would contribute my part to the team’s success – just as I did previously in Liverpool. FC Bayern placed their trust in me, and I am trying to repay that trust on the pitch.”

© IMAGO - Luis Diaz: Loving life at Bayern Munich

Luis Diaz: The best player in the world?

Through 32 games across all competitions this season, Diaz has scored 19 goals and created 15 more for Vincent Kompany’s side.

Such form has seen him elevated above the likes of Erling Haaland and William Saliba to become the best player in the world, according to data analytics company SciSports. Its SciSkill metric gives every player a value based on hundreds of in-game data points – and right now, there’s no one better than Diaz.

Of course, this is only one model, but it speaks to the impact that the player has enjoyed – and Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany has also been left impressed.

“Lucho has got a kind of chaotic creativity. He can always do something in chaos,” he said in November. “As a defender, I always found it uncomfortable to play against such players because you never know whether you have the ball under control or he has it.”

World's top-rated players (SciSports)

Rank	Name	Club	SciSkill
1	Luis Diaz	Bayern	141.4
2	Harry Kane	Bayern	135.6
3	Erling Haaland	Man City	134.5
4	Michael Olise	Bayern	133.2
5	William Saliba	Arsenal	127.5

Slot defends Diaz sale

Diaz’s form in Munich, meanwhile, has forced Slot to go on the defensive.

Speaking to the media last week, the Liverpool manager said: “You always miss good football players. He was so important for us last season, but he wasn’t the only one.

“There were more players that were influential in our results. But I think we have replaced them with very good players as well.

“It is maybe more fair to say that if Alexander Isak had been fit, would we have spoken about it then as well?”

The truth of the matter, for the moment at least, is that Bayern and Diaz have got the better end of the deal.

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